The next area of debate, nonduality versus mediation, examined in Chapter Three involves the function of rituals and other intermediating elements of practice, such as objects of worship, in what is ...
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The next area of debate, nonduality versus mediation, examined in Chapter Three involves the function of rituals and other intermediating elements of practice, such as objects of worship, in what is supposedly an iconoclastic tradition founded on direct, unmediated experience realized through meditation conducted in the Monks Hall of the seven‐hall monastery grounds. By looking at key examples of how prayer temples evolved in relation to monastic training centers, this chapter argues that the traditional view of Zen must acknowledge that the religion allows for a wide variety of compound layouts. Temples that put an emphasis on aesthetic contemplation for monks may incorporate rock gardens or teahouses, for example, while those emphasizing the pursuit of worldly benefits for lay followers generally have a prominent shrine dedicated to an indigenous or esoteric deity that has been assimilated as an avatar or bodhisattva.Less

Zen Rites : The Eclipse of Buddha

Steven Heine

Published in print: 2008-01-01

The next area of debate, nonduality versus mediation, examined in Chapter Three involves the function of rituals and other intermediating elements of practice, such as objects of worship, in what is supposedly an iconoclastic tradition founded on direct, unmediated experience realized through meditation conducted in the Monks Hall of the seven‐hall monastery grounds. By looking at key examples of how prayer temples evolved in relation to monastic training centers, this chapter argues that the traditional view of Zen must acknowledge that the religion allows for a wide variety of compound layouts. Temples that put an emphasis on aesthetic contemplation for monks may incorporate rock gardens or teahouses, for example, while those emphasizing the pursuit of worldly benefits for lay followers generally have a prominent shrine dedicated to an indigenous or esoteric deity that has been assimilated as an avatar or bodhisattva.

This chapter looks at different cultural examples of the tensions between ritual and sincerity over time. First, it discusses the interplay of law and love, Judaism and Christianity, and ritual and ...
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This chapter looks at different cultural examples of the tensions between ritual and sincerity over time. First, it discusses the interplay of law and love, Judaism and Christianity, and ritual and sincerity in Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice. Second, it looks at the history of architectural ornament, which is ritual-like in its repetitions and rhythms and in its concern with boundaries and framing. Here the ritual/sincerity tension plays out typically as conflict between ornament and pedagogy. Iconoclasm is a core theme of this section. Finally, it compares the formal features of music to those of ritual. Like ritual, music is a way of establishing and crossing boundaries, and of ordering a messy world through techniques of intonation, rhythm, and ornament. The tension between ritual and sincerity culminates in 20th-century attempts to move beyond the conventions of tonality completely.Less

Movements of Ritual and Sincerity

Adam B. SeligmanRobert P. WellerMichael J. PuettBennett Simon

Published in print: 2008-02-21

This chapter looks at different cultural examples of the tensions between ritual and sincerity over time. First, it discusses the interplay of law and love, Judaism and Christianity, and ritual and sincerity in Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice. Second, it looks at the history of architectural ornament, which is ritual-like in its repetitions and rhythms and in its concern with boundaries and framing. Here the ritual/sincerity tension plays out typically as conflict between ornament and pedagogy. Iconoclasm is a core theme of this section. Finally, it compares the formal features of music to those of ritual. Like ritual, music is a way of establishing and crossing boundaries, and of ordering a messy world through techniques of intonation, rhythm, and ornament. The tension between ritual and sincerity culminates in 20th-century attempts to move beyond the conventions of tonality completely.

This chapter examines the context of the Protestant Reformation and explores the centrality of the cross in the theologies of the Reformers, especially Luther and Calvin. Both Reformers espoused a ...
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This chapter examines the context of the Protestant Reformation and explores the centrality of the cross in the theologies of the Reformers, especially Luther and Calvin. Both Reformers espoused a form of the theory of Christ's “penal substitution” for sinful humanity in his suffering on the cross. The emphasis on the Bible as the “word of God” resulted in iconoclasm on the part of some Reformers, and a devaluation of the pictorial arts for others. Albrecht Dürer is presented as a transitional figure, showing elements of both late medieval devotionalism and of the new humanist approach in his many portrayals of the Passion. Lukas Cranach exemplifies the direct influence of Luther on art, both thematically and in technique.Less

The Protestant Reformation in the Church and the Arts

Richard Viladesau

Published in print: 2008-05-01

This chapter examines the context of the Protestant Reformation and explores the centrality of the cross in the theologies of the Reformers, especially Luther and Calvin. Both Reformers espoused a form of the theory of Christ's “penal substitution” for sinful humanity in his suffering on the cross. The emphasis on the Bible as the “word of God” resulted in iconoclasm on the part of some Reformers, and a devaluation of the pictorial arts for others. Albrecht Dürer is presented as a transitional figure, showing elements of both late medieval devotionalism and of the new humanist approach in his many portrayals of the Passion. Lukas Cranach exemplifies the direct influence of Luther on art, both thematically and in technique.

In various parts of the Islamic world over the past decades, virulent attacks have targeted Islamic funeral and sacral architecture. Rather than being random acts of vandalism, these are associated ...
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In various parts of the Islamic world over the past decades, virulent attacks have targeted Islamic funeral and sacral architecture. Rather than being random acts of vandalism, these are associated with the idea of performing one’s religious duty as attested to in the Salafi/Wahhabi tradition and texts. Graves, shrines and tombs are regarded by some Muslims as having the potential to tempt a believer to polytheism. Hence the duty to level the graves to the ground (taswiyat al-qubūr). In illuminating the ideology behind these acts, this book explains the current destruction of graves in the Islamic world and traces the ideological sources of iconoclasm in their historical perspective, from medieval theological and legal debates to contemporary Islamist movements including ISIS. The authors look at the destruction of graves in various parts of the Islamic world including the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia, and trace the ideological roots of Salafi iconoclasm and its shifts and mutations in an historical perspective. The book contains case studies, among others, on Ibn Taymiyya, Muhammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab, the Saudi religious establishment, Nasir al-Din al-Albani, and ISIS and the destruction of monuments.Less

The Temptation of Graves in Salafi Islam : Iconoclasm, Destruction and Idolatry

Ondrej BeránekPavel Tupek

Published in print: 2018-02-01

In various parts of the Islamic world over the past decades, virulent attacks have targeted Islamic funeral and sacral architecture. Rather than being random acts of vandalism, these are associated with the idea of performing one’s religious duty as attested to in the Salafi/Wahhabi tradition and texts. Graves, shrines and tombs are regarded by some Muslims as having the potential to tempt a believer to polytheism. Hence the duty to level the graves to the ground (taswiyat al-qubūr). In illuminating the ideology behind these acts, this book explains the current destruction of graves in the Islamic world and traces the ideological sources of iconoclasm in their historical perspective, from medieval theological and legal debates to contemporary Islamist movements including ISIS. The authors look at the destruction of graves in various parts of the Islamic world including the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia, and trace the ideological roots of Salafi iconoclasm and its shifts and mutations in an historical perspective. The book contains case studies, among others, on Ibn Taymiyya, Muhammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab, the Saudi religious establishment, Nasir al-Din al-Albani, and ISIS and the destruction of monuments.

This book is an interpretive analysis of the role of icons (images) of the Jina (the perfected, liberated, and enlightened teachers) in Jainism. The book places different interpretive frames around ...
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This book is an interpretive analysis of the role of icons (images) of the Jina (the perfected, liberated, and enlightened teachers) in Jainism. The book places different interpretive frames around the icon to understand some of the many ways that Jina icons have functioned in Jainism. Most of these frames are iconophilic narratives to account for and defend the origin, presence, and history of the Jina icons. There are also iconoclastic critiques of icons as idols that depict the introduction and worship of icons as a corruption of original Jainism. The Jain narratives include cosmological depictions of the universe, “mythical” accounts from Jain narrative history, and “historical” accounts located within India. Interpretation of the frames involves comparative discussions of materials from Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam. It also involves comparative analysis of scripture and mandalas. The book fits within the growing field of scholarship on images and icons in the world's religious traditions.Less

Framing the Jina : Narratives of Icons and Idols in Jain History

John Cort

Published in print: 2009-12-18

This book is an interpretive analysis of the role of icons (images) of the Jina (the perfected, liberated, and enlightened teachers) in Jainism. The book places different interpretive frames around the icon to understand some of the many ways that Jina icons have functioned in Jainism. Most of these frames are iconophilic narratives to account for and defend the origin, presence, and history of the Jina icons. There are also iconoclastic critiques of icons as idols that depict the introduction and worship of icons as a corruption of original Jainism. The Jain narratives include cosmological depictions of the universe, “mythical” accounts from Jain narrative history, and “historical” accounts located within India. Interpretation of the frames involves comparative discussions of materials from Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam. It also involves comparative analysis of scripture and mandalas. The book fits within the growing field of scholarship on images and icons in the world's religious traditions.

This chapter describes the evolution of the Nîmes Protestant movement from the first meeting of the church’s governing body, the consistory, to the outbreak of civil war the following year. In this ...
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This chapter describes the evolution of the Nîmes Protestant movement from the first meeting of the church’s governing body, the consistory, to the outbreak of civil war the following year. In this period the movement converted key segments of the elite, including members of the présidial, and created its institutional structures. Protestants had become particularly prominent in Nîmes’s most influential factions, and in general had higher betweenness than Catholics. The consistory focused on morals legislation, promoted charity, and attempted, unsuccessfully, to restrain iconoclasm. By the end of 1561 Nîmes’s churches were in Protestant hands.Less

The Consolidation of the Protestant Movement, 1561–1562

Allan A. Tulchin

Published in print: 2010-06-14

This chapter describes the evolution of the Nîmes Protestant movement from the first meeting of the church’s governing body, the consistory, to the outbreak of civil war the following year. In this period the movement converted key segments of the elite, including members of the présidial, and created its institutional structures. Protestants had become particularly prominent in Nîmes’s most influential factions, and in general had higher betweenness than Catholics. The consistory focused on morals legislation, promoted charity, and attempted, unsuccessfully, to restrain iconoclasm. By the end of 1561 Nîmes’s churches were in Protestant hands.

The use of icons in Jainism has not gone uncontested. In particular, the Shvetambara layman Lonka Shah agitated against icons in the fifteenth century. From this anti‐iconic tradition the ...
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The use of icons in Jainism has not gone uncontested. In particular, the Shvetambara layman Lonka Shah agitated against icons in the fifteenth century. From this anti‐iconic tradition the Sthanakavasi movement emerged in the seventeenth century. It is still strong today. The Sthanakavasis have constructed their own historical narratives to explain the use of Jina images, understanding them not to be holy icons, but rather corrupt idols. This chapter analyzes a nineteenth‐century Sthanakavasi narrative of idols, as well as the twentieth‐century history of Jainism by the Sthanakavasi monk Hastimal. This Sthanakavasi history of idols is then contrasted with a Murtipujaka history of iconoclasm constructed by the Murtipujaka monk Jn_nsundar. The Sthanakavasi iconoclasm is then further compared with the Christian Protestant movement, in which the rejection of images is also joined with a call to return to the “original” forms of the religion, and a critique of the intervening tradition. This leads to an analysis of the ways that discourses of idolatry and critiques of tradition in some ways overlap with modern fundamentalism, and in other ways do not.Less

Idols and a History of Corruption

John E. Cort

Published in print: 2009-12-18

The use of icons in Jainism has not gone uncontested. In particular, the Shvetambara layman Lonka Shah agitated against icons in the fifteenth century. From this anti‐iconic tradition the Sthanakavasi movement emerged in the seventeenth century. It is still strong today. The Sthanakavasis have constructed their own historical narratives to explain the use of Jina images, understanding them not to be holy icons, but rather corrupt idols. This chapter analyzes a nineteenth‐century Sthanakavasi narrative of idols, as well as the twentieth‐century history of Jainism by the Sthanakavasi monk Hastimal. This Sthanakavasi history of idols is then contrasted with a Murtipujaka history of iconoclasm constructed by the Murtipujaka monk Jn_nsundar. The Sthanakavasi iconoclasm is then further compared with the Christian Protestant movement, in which the rejection of images is also joined with a call to return to the “original” forms of the religion, and a critique of the intervening tradition. This leads to an analysis of the ways that discourses of idolatry and critiques of tradition in some ways overlap with modern fundamentalism, and in other ways do not.

In the twentieth century, we find new Jain narratives in defense of icons. These new narratives take into account a growing awareness of the fact that Jainism is just one among many religions in the ...
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In the twentieth century, we find new Jain narratives in defense of icons. These new narratives take into account a growing awareness of the fact that Jainism is just one among many religions in the world, and also the rise of new discourses such as that of “history.” The Murtipujaka monks Jnansundar, Buddhisagar, Bhadrankarvijay, and Kalyanvijay all responded with defenses of icons in the new language of modernity. They argued that since humans are embodied, they must use material form, and so icon worship is “natural.” They argued for a processual development from that which has form to that which is formless, an argument that is then compared to the similar much earlier argument advanced in Christianity by Dionysus Areopagite (Pseudo‐Dionysus), John of Damascus, Theodore of Studion, as well as the Protestant Christian defense of material form by Martin Luther. The Jain authors also argued that icons and icon‐use are universal, and therefore argued against what David Freedberg has termed “the myth of aniconism.” Their arguments had to account for the rise of iconoclasm; here, the Jain defenders of icons pointed to Islam as the global root of all iconoclasm. This leads to an investigation of the long‐standing trope of Muslim iconoclasm in Jain literature.Less

The Inevitability of Tangible Form: A Natural Theology of Icons

John E. Cort

Published in print: 2009-12-18

In the twentieth century, we find new Jain narratives in defense of icons. These new narratives take into account a growing awareness of the fact that Jainism is just one among many religions in the world, and also the rise of new discourses such as that of “history.” The Murtipujaka monks Jnansundar, Buddhisagar, Bhadrankarvijay, and Kalyanvijay all responded with defenses of icons in the new language of modernity. They argued that since humans are embodied, they must use material form, and so icon worship is “natural.” They argued for a processual development from that which has form to that which is formless, an argument that is then compared to the similar much earlier argument advanced in Christianity by Dionysus Areopagite (Pseudo‐Dionysus), John of Damascus, Theodore of Studion, as well as the Protestant Christian defense of material form by Martin Luther. The Jain authors also argued that icons and icon‐use are universal, and therefore argued against what David Freedberg has termed “the myth of aniconism.” Their arguments had to account for the rise of iconoclasm; here, the Jain defenders of icons pointed to Islam as the global root of all iconoclasm. This leads to an investigation of the long‐standing trope of Muslim iconoclasm in Jain literature.

A study of the theological achievement of St John Damascene, set in its historical context. John Damascene was born between 650–75 in Damascus and died in or near Jerusalem about 750. His early life ...
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A study of the theological achievement of St John Damascene, set in its historical context. John Damascene was born between 650–75 in Damascus and died in or near Jerusalem about 750. His early life was spent as civil servant under the Umayyad caliphate, the rest as a monk in one of the monasteries of the Palestinian Desert. Palestinian monasticism had acquired a reputation of support for the Christian orthodoxy defined by the church councils of the Byzantine Empire, a reputation that it retained after the Middle East passed from the Byzantines to the Arabs. John Damascene is the most notable representative of this tradition. The bulk of the book explores in detail John's understanding of Christian Orthodoxy, as set out principally in his three‐part Fountain Head of Knowledge. This includes the logical tools needed to argue theologically, set out in the first part, the Dialectica, an understanding of the nature and variety of heresy, in the second part, On Heresies, which includes the first Christian reflection on the new religion of Islam, and an exposition of Christian doctrine, in the third part, On the Orthodox Faith, which was to become immensely influential for all later Christianity, both East and West. Three final chapters discuss John's understanding of Christian art (icons), developed in opposition to Byzantine iconoclasm, his preaching, for which he was famous in his lifetime, and his enormous contribution to Byzantine liturgical poetry, especially the canon. A final chapter draws the threads together by means of a comparison between John Damascene and his nearly exact contemporary in the West, the Venerable Bede.Less

St John Damascene : Tradition and Originality in Byzantine Theology

Andrew Louth

Published in print: 2002-07-04

A study of the theological achievement of St John Damascene, set in its historical context. John Damascene was born between 650–75 in Damascus and died in or near Jerusalem about 750. His early life was spent as civil servant under the Umayyad caliphate, the rest as a monk in one of the monasteries of the Palestinian Desert. Palestinian monasticism had acquired a reputation of support for the Christian orthodoxy defined by the church councils of the Byzantine Empire, a reputation that it retained after the Middle East passed from the Byzantines to the Arabs. John Damascene is the most notable representative of this tradition. The bulk of the book explores in detail John's understanding of Christian Orthodoxy, as set out principally in his three‐part Fountain Head of Knowledge. This includes the logical tools needed to argue theologically, set out in the first part, the Dialectica, an understanding of the nature and variety of heresy, in the second part, On Heresies, which includes the first Christian reflection on the new religion of Islam, and an exposition of Christian doctrine, in the third part, On the Orthodox Faith, which was to become immensely influential for all later Christianity, both East and West. Three final chapters discuss John's understanding of Christian art (icons), developed in opposition to Byzantine iconoclasm, his preaching, for which he was famous in his lifetime, and his enormous contribution to Byzantine liturgical poetry, especially the canon. A final chapter draws the threads together by means of a comparison between John Damascene and his nearly exact contemporary in the West, the Venerable Bede.

As the Labour Party's political and industrial leaderships moved rapidly to define and to consolidate their position after the August 1931 collapse of the Labour Government led by Ramsay MacDonald, ...
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As the Labour Party's political and industrial leaderships moved rapidly to define and to consolidate their position after the August 1931 collapse of the Labour Government led by Ramsay MacDonald, achievement of these objectives was hindered by accumulating tensions between Labour politicians and trade union leaders. Walter Citrine, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) General Secretary, had been central to the bargaining over delicate issues between the Labour Government and the TUC. Increasingly, he had become dismayed about what he saw as Government insensitivity towards legitimate concerns of trade unions. Trade union priorities were central to the post-MacDonald Labour Party and they were expressed most forcibly by Ernest Bevin, the General Secretary of the Transport and General Workers' Union. This chapter looks at Bevin's approach to politics, loyalism, and iconoclasm as a union leader towards the Labour Party.Less

Bevin’s Union: Loyalism and Iconoclasm

David Howell

Published in print: 2002-09-05

As the Labour Party's political and industrial leaderships moved rapidly to define and to consolidate their position after the August 1931 collapse of the Labour Government led by Ramsay MacDonald, achievement of these objectives was hindered by accumulating tensions between Labour politicians and trade union leaders. Walter Citrine, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) General Secretary, had been central to the bargaining over delicate issues between the Labour Government and the TUC. Increasingly, he had become dismayed about what he saw as Government insensitivity towards legitimate concerns of trade unions. Trade union priorities were central to the post-MacDonald Labour Party and they were expressed most forcibly by Ernest Bevin, the General Secretary of the Transport and General Workers' Union. This chapter looks at Bevin's approach to politics, loyalism, and iconoclasm as a union leader towards the Labour Party.

In 1543 the Cristo Aparecido appeared to the Spanish missionary friar, Antonio Roa, and to the community of newly converted indigenous Christians of the pueblo of Totolapan (in modern-day Morelos, ...
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In 1543 the Cristo Aparecido appeared to the Spanish missionary friar, Antonio Roa, and to the community of newly converted indigenous Christians of the pueblo of Totolapan (in modern-day Morelos, Mexico) where he ministered. This chapter weaves together two seemingly irreconcilable origin myths, one from art history, and the other the narrative of faith, to explain the circumstances in which the arrival of the crucifix was understood to be extraordinary. Beyond legend and miracle, the Cristo’s origins reveal the central role of objects of material religion in the spiritual conquest of sixteenth-century Mexico.Less

“Christ Appeared” : Material Religion and the Conquest of Mexico

Jennifer Scheper Hughes

Published in print: 2009-12-31

In 1543 the Cristo Aparecido appeared to the Spanish missionary friar, Antonio Roa, and to the community of newly converted indigenous Christians of the pueblo of Totolapan (in modern-day Morelos, Mexico) where he ministered. This chapter weaves together two seemingly irreconcilable origin myths, one from art history, and the other the narrative of faith, to explain the circumstances in which the arrival of the crucifix was understood to be extraordinary. Beyond legend and miracle, the Cristo’s origins reveal the central role of objects of material religion in the spiritual conquest of sixteenth-century Mexico.

This chapter examines the historical context of iconoclast reform under the Byzantine Empire. In the early eighth century, the Byzantine Empire teetered on the edge of total collapse. From 695 to 717 ...
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This chapter examines the historical context of iconoclast reform under the Byzantine Empire. In the early eighth century, the Byzantine Empire teetered on the edge of total collapse. From 695 to 717 internal conflicts threatened to divide the empire, while Muslim forces seemed poised ready to capture Constantinople itself. This troubled period is therefore crucial to an analysis of Byzantium during the first outbreak of iconoclasm. The first reign of Justinian II, the last ruling member of the Heraclian dynasty, ended in a palace coup of 695, which established a usurper, Leontios, as emperor. This event was the first of many similar upheavals that followed with all too regular repetition, making nonsense of the tradition of a Byzantine imperial family. The chapter discusses the efforts of Leo III and his son Constantine to end a political crisis that nearly brought down the Byzantine Empire.Less

The Historical Context of Iconoclast Reform

Judith Herrin

Published in print: 2013-04-07

This chapter examines the historical context of iconoclast reform under the Byzantine Empire. In the early eighth century, the Byzantine Empire teetered on the edge of total collapse. From 695 to 717 internal conflicts threatened to divide the empire, while Muslim forces seemed poised ready to capture Constantinople itself. This troubled period is therefore crucial to an analysis of Byzantium during the first outbreak of iconoclasm. The first reign of Justinian II, the last ruling member of the Heraclian dynasty, ended in a palace coup of 695, which established a usurper, Leontios, as emperor. This event was the first of many similar upheavals that followed with all too regular repetition, making nonsense of the tradition of a Byzantine imperial family. The chapter discusses the efforts of Leo III and his son Constantine to end a political crisis that nearly brought down the Byzantine Empire.

This chapter analyzes the cultural heritage, the imperial precedents, and variety of visual models on which powerful Byzantine empresses could draw. In particular, it demonstrates that by the eighth ...
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This chapter analyzes the cultural heritage, the imperial precedents, and variety of visual models on which powerful Byzantine empresses could draw. In particular, it demonstrates that by the eighth and ninth centuries there were significant resources available that might permit imperial authority to adopt feminine forms. The reason for this chronological framework lies in the prominence of two empresses, Irene and Theodora, during the periods of iconoclasm (roughly calculated from 730 to 843). Both reversed bans imposed on the veneration of icons. Irene set a precedent by summoning the Seventh Ecumenical Council held in 787, which justified icons and restored them to a central position in the church, while Theodora is commemorated as a saint for her role in ending the second phase of iconoclasm in 843.Less

The Imperial Feminine in Byzantium

Judith Herrin

Published in print: 2013-03-11

This chapter analyzes the cultural heritage, the imperial precedents, and variety of visual models on which powerful Byzantine empresses could draw. In particular, it demonstrates that by the eighth and ninth centuries there were significant resources available that might permit imperial authority to adopt feminine forms. The reason for this chronological framework lies in the prominence of two empresses, Irene and Theodora, during the periods of iconoclasm (roughly calculated from 730 to 843). Both reversed bans imposed on the veneration of icons. Irene set a precedent by summoning the Seventh Ecumenical Council held in 787, which justified icons and restored them to a central position in the church, while Theodora is commemorated as a saint for her role in ending the second phase of iconoclasm in 843.

This book offers an in-depth analysis of an iconoclastic religious movement initiated by a Muslim preacher among coastal Baga farmers in the French colonial period. With an ethnographic approach that ...
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This book offers an in-depth analysis of an iconoclastic religious movement initiated by a Muslim preacher among coastal Baga farmers in the French colonial period. With an ethnographic approach that listens as carefully to those who suffered iconoclastic violence as to those who wanted to ‘get rid of custom’, it discusses the extent to which iconoclasm produces a rupture of religious knowledge and identity, and analyses its relevance in the making of modern nations and citizens. The book covers many topics such as the anthropology of religion, iconoclasm, the history and anthropology of West Africa, and the politics of heritage.Less

The Politics of Religious Change on the Upper Guinea Coast : Iconoclasm Done and Undone

Ramon Sarro

Published in print: 2008-12-18

This book offers an in-depth analysis of an iconoclastic religious movement initiated by a Muslim preacher among coastal Baga farmers in the French colonial period. With an ethnographic approach that listens as carefully to those who suffered iconoclastic violence as to those who wanted to ‘get rid of custom’, it discusses the extent to which iconoclasm produces a rupture of religious knowledge and identity, and analyses its relevance in the making of modern nations and citizens. The book covers many topics such as the anthropology of religion, iconoclasm, the history and anthropology of West Africa, and the politics of heritage.

Brief account of the beginnings of Byzantine iconoclasm, and John's place in defending the veneration of icons against iconoclasm. The nature and importance of florilegia in his defence. An ...
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Brief account of the beginnings of Byzantine iconoclasm, and John's place in defending the veneration of icons against iconoclasm. The nature and importance of florilegia in his defence. An exposition of John's theology of the icon or image.Less

Against the Iconoclasts

Andrew Louth

Published in print: 2002-07-04

Brief account of the beginnings of Byzantine iconoclasm, and John's place in defending the veneration of icons against iconoclasm. The nature and importance of florilegia in his defence. An exposition of John's theology of the icon or image.

Celebrated due to the aura of mystery attached to his rediscovered works in the twentieth century, Georges de La Tour’s paintings continue to be an object of scholarly interest and public ...
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Celebrated due to the aura of mystery attached to his rediscovered works in the twentieth century, Georges de La Tour’s paintings continue to be an object of scholarly interest and public fascination. Exploring the representations of light, vision and the visible in his works, this interdisciplinary study raises seminal questions regarding the nature of painting and its artistic, theological, and conceptual implications. If the visible presents an enigma in La Tour’s pictorial works, this is because familiar objects of visible reality serve as emblems of an invisible, spiritual reality. La Tour’s pursuit of likeness between image and the natural world bears the influence of the Catholic Reform’s call for the revitalization of religious imagery in the wake of Protestant iconoclastic outbreaks. Like the books shown in his paintings which are asking to be read, La Tour’s paintings are examined not just as visual depictions but also as instruments of insight, which ask to be deciphered rather than merely seen. La Tour’s paintings show how the figuration of faith as spiritual passion and illumination challenges the meanings attached to the visual realm of painterly expression. This study shows that La Tour’s emphasis on spiritual insight opens up a broader artistic, philosophical and conceptual reflection on the conditions of possibility of painting and its limitations as a visual medium. By scrutinizing what is seen and how and by questioning the position of the beholder, his works encourage meditation on the role of painting and its engagements with the visible world.Less

Georges de La Tour and the Enigma of the Visible

Dalia Judovitz

Published in print: 2017-11-07

Celebrated due to the aura of mystery attached to his rediscovered works in the twentieth century, Georges de La Tour’s paintings continue to be an object of scholarly interest and public fascination. Exploring the representations of light, vision and the visible in his works, this interdisciplinary study raises seminal questions regarding the nature of painting and its artistic, theological, and conceptual implications. If the visible presents an enigma in La Tour’s pictorial works, this is because familiar objects of visible reality serve as emblems of an invisible, spiritual reality. La Tour’s pursuit of likeness between image and the natural world bears the influence of the Catholic Reform’s call for the revitalization of religious imagery in the wake of Protestant iconoclastic outbreaks. Like the books shown in his paintings which are asking to be read, La Tour’s paintings are examined not just as visual depictions but also as instruments of insight, which ask to be deciphered rather than merely seen. La Tour’s paintings show how the figuration of faith as spiritual passion and illumination challenges the meanings attached to the visual realm of painterly expression. This study shows that La Tour’s emphasis on spiritual insight opens up a broader artistic, philosophical and conceptual reflection on the conditions of possibility of painting and its limitations as a visual medium. By scrutinizing what is seen and how and by questioning the position of the beholder, his works encourage meditation on the role of painting and its engagements with the visible world.

Underlying humans’ creativity and their ability to plan the future is the power of imagination. Situated between thought and affectivity and involving both, the human imagination has power to shape ...
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Underlying humans’ creativity and their ability to plan the future is the power of imagination. Situated between thought and affectivity and involving both, the human imagination has power to shape humans’ lives in new and unexpected ways. Link of images to emotions, insights, decision and action. Religious problem of images of the divine, and the response of iconoclasm. Basic role of human bodiliness in imagination and in divine revelation.Less

The Power of Imagination

Bernard Cooke

Published in print: 2004-11-01

Underlying humans’ creativity and their ability to plan the future is the power of imagination. Situated between thought and affectivity and involving both, the human imagination has power to shape humans’ lives in new and unexpected ways. Link of images to emotions, insights, decision and action. Religious problem of images of the divine, and the response of iconoclasm. Basic role of human bodiliness in imagination and in divine revelation.

The introductory part discusses the growing cult of the icon in the Orthodox Church and the controversies that this gave rise to in the period 728–843; the cult started in the late sixth and seventh ...
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The introductory part discusses the growing cult of the icon in the Orthodox Church and the controversies that this gave rise to in the period 728–843; the cult started in the late sixth and seventh centuries, and is attributed to a need for additional security. The first section discusses the North Syrian rulers and the initial phase of the controversy from 726 to 787: the background to the crisis, the opening actions against icons (iconoclasm) under Leo III, and the further measures taken by Constantine V and the council of 754. The second section discusses the first restoration of the icons, and covers the Empress Irene and the council of Nicaea (787), conflicting currents in 787–843, and Irene and Constantine VI. The third section discusses the second phase of iconoclasm, and the fourth the restoration of orthodoxy (of icon veneration) in 843 under Patriarch Methodius. The last section discusses the significance of the controversy over icons.Less

The Iconoclast Controversy 726–843

J. M. Hussey

Published in print: 1990-08-23

The introductory part discusses the growing cult of the icon in the Orthodox Church and the controversies that this gave rise to in the period 728–843; the cult started in the late sixth and seventh centuries, and is attributed to a need for additional security. The first section discusses the North Syrian rulers and the initial phase of the controversy from 726 to 787: the background to the crisis, the opening actions against icons (iconoclasm) under Leo III, and the further measures taken by Constantine V and the council of 754. The second section discusses the first restoration of the icons, and covers the Empress Irene and the council of Nicaea (787), conflicting currents in 787–843, and Irene and Constantine VI. The third section discusses the second phase of iconoclasm, and the fourth the restoration of orthodoxy (of icon veneration) in 843 under Patriarch Methodius. The last section discusses the significance of the controversy over icons.

This chapter analyses the impact on the commemoration of the dead of the mid-Tudor decades, and the contrasting religious policies of Edward VI and Mary Tudor. It describes the 1547 dissolution of ...
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This chapter analyses the impact on the commemoration of the dead of the mid-Tudor decades, and the contrasting religious policies of Edward VI and Mary Tudor. It describes the 1547 dissolution of the chantries as well as the officially-inspired iconoclasm against tombs and monuments, and assesses popular responses to these developments. It investigates the ways in which the dead were commemorated in the 1549 and 1552 Books of Common Prayer. It then assesses the restoration of traditional doctrine and practice after the accession of Mary. While conceding that Marian theologians were cautious about purgatory, and that some significant shifts in attitudes had taken place at the popular level, the chapter employs testamentary and other sources to dispute that the issues were completely marginalised, or that notions of purgatory and intercessory prayer were a permanent casualty of reform by this stage.Less

‘Rage Against the Dead’: Reform, Counter-reform, and the Death of Purgatory

PETER MARSHALL

Published in print: 2002-07-11

This chapter analyses the impact on the commemoration of the dead of the mid-Tudor decades, and the contrasting religious policies of Edward VI and Mary Tudor. It describes the 1547 dissolution of the chantries as well as the officially-inspired iconoclasm against tombs and monuments, and assesses popular responses to these developments. It investigates the ways in which the dead were commemorated in the 1549 and 1552 Books of Common Prayer. It then assesses the restoration of traditional doctrine and practice after the accession of Mary. While conceding that Marian theologians were cautious about purgatory, and that some significant shifts in attitudes had taken place at the popular level, the chapter employs testamentary and other sources to dispute that the issues were completely marginalised, or that notions of purgatory and intercessory prayer were a permanent casualty of reform by this stage.